Opera for the Ages: Take 1

Opera For the Ages: take 1

Me, singing for the kindergartners at Ashley Hall.

They loved my crazy facial expressions! 

They laughed at me the entire time! I loved it

So I have mentioned my platform, "Opera for the Ages." However, now that it is a larger component of my senior project, I will be visiting more schools and teaching more classes. But I thought I'd tell you bout some of my previous experiences. Last May, I sang to my first kindergarten class. I really I had no idea what to expect, I mean opera for kindergartners? However, I walked in there with optimism for my platform and these wonderful children. It turns out that I completely underestimated them. They were enthralled and fascinated by what I was singing. Also, most of them had at least heard of opera or some form of classical music before. At that point I knew I was going to love sharing this platform with the community. I sang, "In Uomini, In Soldati" from Cosi Fan Tutte by Mozart. It's an aria sung by the character Despina basically trying to convince Dorabella and Fiordiligi of the evils of men. Its a comedic song full of expression which the kids really seemed to love. They had no problem laughing at me when I made a funny face! After I sang to them, I talked to them about the benefits of opera and classical music. I asked them if they knew any composers, operas, or famous songs. They rattled off Mozart maybe Bach, but I had to remember I was speaking to kindergartners. I then explained to them some of the things I had been singing, and what the aria meant in context, seeing as they didn't speak Italian, or have Cosi Fan Tutte memorized. This was my first try at my project, and I learned what I needed to do to make it better and more efficient, but I also knew I was going to love spending a year developing it. I know that both the children and I had an amazing time, and we both learned something from each other.